Should You Spay or Neuter Your Cat? Absolutely. Here’s why

Should You Spay or Neuter Your Cat?

Yes! The Sooner the Better.

Should you spay or neuter your cat? There has always been much debate about this. Some people think it’s best to let their felines have at least one litter before spaying. Why? I don’t know. They think they’re doing their cat a favor, I guess, by allowing their motherly instinct a chance to thrive. That may be so, and I can even understand that.

Photo by Eyecmore, Flickr

And let’s face it. Kittens are sweet. They’re cute. They’re irresistable. Watching momma take care of her litter is adorable and awesome. I get that.

But then what? What do you do with all those kittens? It’s not as easy to give them away as you might think, even if they are free. They’re a dime a dozen, and all your neighbors have cats already. Some people will take a kitten on a whim, only to realize later that they can’t keep it after all. It doesn’t get along with the dog / the husband is allergic / the kids are too rough with it / it pees on the furniture / it was given as a gift but the gifted person can’t care for it. Yada, yada, yada.

Whatever. Chances are that kitty will end up, unwanted, on the street or in an animal shelter somewhere.

So, why should you spay or neuter your cat? It’s simple. There are already too many homeless cats (and dogs) already out there in the world. There’s a pet population explosion and we don’t need to be adding to it. If a person really wants a cat (or a dog), let them go adopt one that’s already in need of a good home. PLEASE, don’t add to the problem.

Spaying or neutering your cat, (or dog), prevents these unwanted births, which helps reduce overpopulation in shelters. Millions of unwanted animals end up in shelters or on the streets each year. Only a lucky few are adopted; the rest are either euthanized or die from trauma, exposure, starvation or disease. By spaying or neutering your cat, you do your part to prevent this tragedy. Best Friends Animal Society

Look at these following statistics put out by the ASPCA. Note that currently, there is no government institution or animal organization responsible for tabulating national statistics for the animal protection movement, so these are stats are estimates, and the numbers may vary from state to state.

Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats.

Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized (1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats).

Approximately 2.7 million shelter animals are adopted each year (1.4 million dogs and 1.3 million cats).

About 649,000 animals who enter shelters as strays are returned to their owners. Of those, 542,000 are dogs and only 100,000 are cats.

Of the dogs entering shelters, approximately 35% are adopted, 31% are euthanized and 26% of dogs who came in as strays are returned to their owner.

Of the cats entering shelters, approximately 37% are adopted, 41% are euthanized, and less than 5% of cats who came in as strays are returned to their owners.

About twice as many animals enter shelters as strays compared to the number that are relinquished by their owners.

Photo by Chriss Haight Pagani, Flickr

Aren’t these facts reason enough why you should spay or neuter your pet? Please consider it. And the sooner the better.

When Should You Spay or Neuter Your Cat?

Many people think that they have to wait until their little kitty goes through her first “heat” cycle. This is not true. She’ll be just fine if you have her spayed as soon as her system is mature enough to cope, which is generally around 5 months old.

Spaying your female kitten (or neutering your male cat) early means that they are less likely to have much reaction to the operation at all. The younger they are, the more they will easily adapt. The recovery time will be much smoother and your cat will be up and about sooner in no time.

Is it as important to neuter your tom? Yes! Absolutely! Most cat owners can see the advantage of spaying their female cat so she won’t have future litters, which means that they won’t have to deal with finding homes for all those kittens.

Owners of male cats don’t have to deal with this problem, and therefore feel they don’t have to neuter their tom. WRONG! Neutering a tom is a huge step towards stopping the over population of offspring in the local area with off-spring. It takes two to tango, doesn’t it? Please take responsibility for this.

Not only does neutering your male contribute towards the problem of too many homeless (or abused, mistreated or neglected) cats, but it will also take that “tom cat” smell away. The urine of a neutered tom cat usually smells less intrusive that that of a non-neutered one.

Spaying or neutering your kitten isn’t a negative thing. You will be doing the universe a favor, and making a valuable, conscious decision. Urge your friends to adopt a pet please. They need you.

Thanks for listening.

Should You Spay or Neuter Your Cat?

MY QUESTION FOR YOU TODAY: Are there any animals you know of that you would like to see featured here on my blog? Is there any creature that you would like to learn more about? Or, do you have a story you would like to submit about a pet you have? I would love to hear from you in the comment section below, or please email me directly at jeanne@animalbliss.com

Born in Nova Scotia, I moved to the United States 20+ years ago.I am a dedicated lover of animals and fight for their rights and protection.I love people too, of course, and enjoy meeting folks from all walks of life.I enjoy philosophical discussion, laughing, and really odd ball stuff.I hope you enjoy my site.Leave me a comment to let me know you were here!Peace out.

I absolutely love cats. I have a tom cat and I have been debating on whether or not to have him neutered. After reading this article, I can see now that it is just as important to have male cats neutered as it is to have female cats spayed. I would not want to be a contributor to the many homeless cats out in the world.

Jeanne Melanson is just an ordinary gal from Nova Scotia, now living in Michigan.

Her animal family has included 13 Alpine Goats, 40 Chickens, 20 Turkeys, 3 Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pigs, a number of Turtles, 2 Raccoons, 1 Opossum , her share of Cats and Dogs, and a Bearded Dragon named Shirley.